Occupational Health Inspection Research Articles

Discussion on the application status and method improvement of gas chromatography in occupational health inspection standards in China

As a rapid, accurate and efficient analytical technique, gas chromatography is widely used in the detection of volatile organic compounds and inorganic small molecule toxins, and it is the main analytical method in the national testing standards for occupational health. The existing effective national standards of gas chromatography for the detection of some substances have low column efficiency, high toxicity of reagents, poor correlation of the standard curve and low desorption efficiency and other problems, some of which can be solved through method improvement. At the same time, with the use of new materials and new processes, new types of toxic substances are emerging, and there are still many occupational disease hazards of limited value without supporting detection methods, gas chromatography can be applied to the detection of some toxic substances to better complement the vacancy of China's occupational health detection methods. This paper analyzes the current situation of the application of gas chromatography in occupational health testing standards, discusses the improvement of some of these methods, and helps to promote the application and development of gas chromatography in occupational health testing.

After Arbeitsschutzkontrollgesetz. Strikes and Organic Intellectuals in the German Meat Industry

For decades, migrant workers with temporary and service contract work in the German meat industry have rarely been recruited by trade unions. The Arbeitsschutzkontrollgesetz (“Occupational Safety and Health Inspection Act”) law implemented in 2021 aimed to grant equal employment conditions to the majority of the workers in slaughterhouses, creating new avenues for trade unions to gain more members and organize industry-level negotiations for better wages and a collective agreement. This article explores the lessons we can draw from the series of strikes that accompanied the negotiations. By relying primarily on participant observation in the meat industry strikes and employing an actor-centred perspective on industrial relations, the paper reveals the role of shop-floor organic intellectuals in mobilizing and demobilizing workers. The analysis of the strikes shows that organic intellectuals can be instrumental in articulating the resistance of subaltern groups, but they can also be co-opted by dominant groups to manufacture consent.

After Arbeitsschutzkontrollgesetz. Strikes and organic intellectuals in the German meat industry

For decades, migrant workers with temporary and service contract work in the German meat industry have rarely been recruited by trade unions. The Arbeitsschutzkontrollgesetz (Occupational Safety and Health Inspection Act) law, implemented in 2021, aimed to grant equal employment conditions to the majority of workers in slaughterhouses, creating new avenues for trade unions to gain more members and organise industry-level negotiations for better wages and a collective agreement. This article explores the lessons from the series of strikes that accompanied those negotiations. Relying primarily on participant observation in the meat industry strikes and employing an actor-centred perspective, the paper reveals the role of shopfloor organic intellectuals – Gramsci’s term for those who grasp class interests and who generate cohesion and self-awareness of their class’s position in society – in mobilising and demobilising workers. Analysis of the strikes shows that organic intellectuals can be instrumental in articulating the resistance of subaltern groups, but they can also be co-opted by dominant groups to manufacture consent.

AUDIT FOR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY IN TURKEY. “AN ASSESSMENT REGARDING THE YEARS 2010-2018”

Effective supervision of workplaces in terms of occupational health and safety contributes significantly to the prevention of occupational accidents in many developed countries. The Occupational Health and Safety Law No. 6331, which entered into force in 2012 in Turkey, brought obligations to employers and employees on the subject. However, the extent to which employers and employees fulfill their responsibilities arising from the Law and related Regulations has often had to be left to the initiative of the parties, due to the insufficient number of occupational health and safety inspections carried out by the Guidance and Inspection Board. One of the important reasons why the occupational health and safety policies implemented in line with the ILO conventions and EU directives in Turkey cannot achieve the desired success in practice is the insufficient number of occupational health and safety inspections carried out in enterprises. In this study, first of all, the general view of work accidents in Turkey, work accidents occurring in risky sectors over the years and deaths as a result of work accidents will be examined. Afterwards, evaluations will be made by the Presidency of the Guidance and Inspection Board by including the number of inspections carried out in the workplaces over the years. Keywords: Occupational Accidents, Occupational Safety, Occupational Health and Safety Audit

Implementation of Occupational Safety and Health (K3) Inspection as a Work Accident Prevention Effort in Palm Oil Factory, Kampar Regency, Riau Province

Work safety issues are closely related to work accidents. Indonesia's work accident rate is still high and tends to increase yearly. The implementation of a practical occupational safety and health (K3) inspection is a preventive measure that can be taken to ensure that the work environment is always safe, healthy, and safe. Inspection is the best way to find problems and assess risks before accidents occur. This study aims to determine the implementation of Occupational Safety And Health (K3) Inspection as an Effort to Prevent Work Accidents in Palm Oil Mills in Kampar-Riau Regency in 2021. The study was from August-September, with the subjects being two workers, two factory supervisors, and 1 HES/Safety. Officer of Palm Oil Mill in Kampar-Riau Regency. This research is descriptive with a qualitative case study method by conducting field observations with the help of checklist sheets and in-depth interviews with document searches. The study results found that the company had carried out occupational safety and health (K3) inspections, which were the manager's responsibility. The company has provided facilities and infrastructure such as providing a budget for carrying out occupational safety and health (K3) program activities such as providing complete protective equipment, fire extinguishers, and first aid kits. The company already has a policy regarding Occupational Safety And Health (K3) and company policy towards workers. The OHS management system at the oil palm factory in Kampar Regency has been implemented and refers to government regulation no 50 of 2012. For companies, it is necessary to form a unique organization that oversees the implementation of the OHS program and divides tasks according to the plan with the expertise they have and is listed in the organizational structure with their respective portion.

Periodic Medical Examination and Occupational Health in Target Attainment of Workers in Rivers State, Nigeria

Work organisation equipment, facilities, and working conditions have potential sources of hazard and it is expected that organisation, protect, the health of vulnerable workers through health policy implementation. This paper was part of a study which was begun in 2016. Its main thrust of was to examine how Occupational Health policy implementation affects employee performance in two organisations; an agro-allied chemical company and an enamelware factory in Rivers State, Nigeria. Two research hypotheses were formulated to examine the relationship between periodic medical examination and the level of target attainment among workers; and the regularity of occupational health inspection and the level of target attainment among workers; The interactionist paradigm, the exchange theory was adopted. The study design was a descriptive survey. The stratified sampling technique was used to proportionately select 279 respondents from both organisations. Primary data were sourced directly from respondents through self questionnaires.  Chi-square (X2) statistic at degree of freedom = 2 and 0.05 significance level was applied to test the research hypotheses. The findings showed that periodic medical examination is associated with the level of target attainment among workers, regular occupational health inspection was also associated with the level of target attainment among Workers. The study recommended that organisations should be committed to consistent implementation of occupational health policy that would enhance their well-being and in turn in improve workers’ performance.  Employers should ensure that occupational health policy implementation should be made an integral part of work process and activities. A department should be created in firms to consistently evaluate and deal with the planned programme for employee health. Organisations should prioritize employee well-being by investing in human and material resources necessary for the effective implementation of occupational health policy.

Analysis on the detection of suspected occupational diseases and occupational contraindications for benzene workers in Tianjin

Objective: To investigate the detection of suspected occupational diseases and occupational contraindications for benzene workers in Tianjin. Methods: In June 2020, the occupational health inspection data of 16113 benzene workers in 514 enterprises with benzene hazards in 16 municipal districts in Tianjin from January to December 2019 were included in the analysis. Enterprise information included the employer's region, economic type, industry classification and enterprise scale. Occupational health inspection data for benzene workers during their on-the-job period included routine inspection indicators and benzene special inspection indicators. Multivariate unconditional logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between personal general information, occupational history, enterprise information and suspected benzene poisoning and occupational contraindications of benzene workers. Results: There were 16073 benzene workers in the normal group and 24 in the suspected benzene poisoning group. The detection rate of suspected benzene poisoning in females was higher than that in males (χ(2)=8.26, P=0.004) . There was no significant difference in the detection rates of suspected benzene poisoning among different dimensions such as age, length of service, occupational health inspection institution location, employer location, industry classification, economic type, and enterprise scale (P>0.05) . There were 16073 benzene workers in the normal group and 16 in the benzene contraindication group. The detection rate of benzene contraindications for workers in suburban areas where occupational health inspection institutions were located was higher than that in urban areas (χ(2)=9.71, P=0.002) , and there was no significant difference in the detection rates of contraindications for benzene in other dimensions (P>0.05) . Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that female benzene workers were more likely to detect suspected benzene poisoning (OR=3.53, 95%CI: 1.57-7.94, P=0.002) ; benzene workers who received physical examination in suburban occupational health inspection institutions (OR=5.81, 95%CI: 1.94-17.42, P=0.002) , the employer's area was in the suburbs (OR=9.68, 95%CI: 1.23-76.07, P=0.031) , and female workers (OR=3.07, 95%CI: 1.13-8.37, P=0.028) , it was easier to detect occupational contraindications. Conclusion: Female benzene workers with employers located in the suburbs have a higher risk of detecting occupational contraindications, and women are more likely to detect suspected benzene poisoning. The management of benzene operations in the production environment of enterprises in the suburbs of Tianjin and the occupational health monitoring of female workers should be strengthened.

Analysis on the status of occupational health of medical radiation workers in China in 2019

Objective: To grasp the occupational health monitoring of radiation workers in medical institutions across the country, and to discover weak links in the prevention and treatment of occupational radiation diseases. Methods: In 2020 January, according to the monitoring data of the "National Radiation Health Information Platform" (Occupational Radiation Disease and Occupational Health Monitoring Subsystem and Occupational Radiation Disease Reporting Subsystem) , the national occupational health monitoring data from January 1 to December 31, 2019, including the number of radiation workers in medical institutions, occupational health examinations, personal dose monitoring and occupational radiation disease diagnosis, were descriptive analyzed. Results: There were a total of 394436 radiation workers in medical institutions across the country. The number of radiation workers in various provinces was quite different, with a median of 10206, which was positively correlated with the number of permanent residents in each province (r=0.947) . There were 376 personal dose monitoring institutions nationwide, and the personal dose monitoring rate of radiation workers in medical institutions was 96.61% (381045/394436) . There were 419 occupational health inspection institutions for radiation workers across the country, and 269 (64.20%) used software to print physical examination forms. A total of 334455 radiation workers in medical institutions had been subjected to occupational health examinations. The rate of occupational health examinations for radiation workers in medical institutions was 84.79% (334455/394436) . The abnormal rate of chromosomal aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes of radiation workers in medical institutions was 0.33% (776/233571) , the detection rate of posterior posterior subcapsular turbidity was 0.63% (2093/334455) , and the abnormality rate of thyroid color ultrasound was 28.49% (14946/52464) . In 2019, a total of 16 cases of occupational radiation diseases were reported. Conclusion: The personal dose monitoring rate and occupational health examination rate of medical radiation workers nationwide are relatively high, but the quality of lymphocyte chromosome aberration analysis, eye lens examination and thyroid color photograph examination needs to be further improved.

Investigation on noise exposure level and health status of workers in transportation equipment manufacturing industry

Objective: To explore the noise exposure level and the health status of workers in transportation equipment manufacturing industry, and provide a scientific basis for guidance and implementation of intervention measures. Methods: From January to December in 2019, a total of 2088 noise workers from a large enterprise were selected by cluster sampling method in railway transportation equipment manufacturing, automobile manufacturing and aerospace aircraft manufacturing enterprises. The worker's noise exposure level was detected. Occupational health checkups were performed on the noise workers including electrical audiometry, blood pressure and electrocardiogram. χ(2) test and trend χ(2) test were used to analyze the data. Results: The noise exposure level of 66.9% (1396/2088) workers exceeded 85 dB (A) , and the median noise level was 87.9 (84.3-90.3) dB (A) . Among them, workers of railway transportation equipment manufacturing enterprises had the highest noise exposure level[89.9 (87.8-91.6) dB (A) ]. The detection rate of high-frequency hearing loss, abnormal blood pressure and abnormal electrocardiogram of noise workers were 15.7% (327/2088) , 18.1% (378/2088) and 6.1% (128/2088) , respectively. The differences in the detection rates of high-frequency hearing loss, abnormal blood pressure, and abnormal electrocardiogram in workers of railway transportation equipment manufacturing enterprises, automobile manufacturing enterprises, and aerospace manufacturing enterprises were statistically significant (P<0.05) . Workers of railway transportation equipment manufacturing enterprises had higher detection rates of high-frequency hearing loss (17.6%, 186/1056) . Workers of aerospace manufacturing enterprises had higher detection rates of abnormal blood pressure and abnormal electrocardiogram (26.3%, 169/642; 10.0%, 64/642) . The differences in the detection rates of high-frequency hearing loss, abnormal blood pressure and abnormal electrocardiogram of noise workers were statistically significant in different age and working age groups, and gradually increased with age and working age (P<0.05) . The difference in the detection rate of high-frequency hearing loss of noise workers was statistically significant in different noise intensity groups, and the overall trend was increasing (P<0.05) . Conclusion: The transportation equipment manufacturing industry has serious noise hazards, especially the railway transportation equipment manufacturing industry. Long-term occupational noise exposure can adversely affect workers' hearing and cardiovascular system. Enterprises should strengthen occupational health inspections, and at the same time, take personal protective measures to protect the health of workers.

Determining the prerequisites for effective workplace inspection by the occupational safety and health regulatory authority using cognitive work analysis

Objectives. Earlier attempts to understand inspection work and improve inspection effectiveness are based on how controls are conducted and the interactions between the inspectors and inspection subjects. This study aimed to determine workplace occupational safety and health inspection effectiveness prerequisites using cognitive work analysis, an approach for design and evaluation of work domains, focusing on activities and work constraints. Methods. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and a survey with labour inspection authority inspectors, and by reviewing inspection reports and earlier studies on workplace inspections. These were used in the first three cognitive work analysis phases to identify the prerequisites of effective workplace inspection and designing inspection strategies. Results. An abstraction hierarchy showing the affordances was prepared, with purpose-related functions identified as the inspection effectiveness prerequisites. A contextual activities template and a decision ladder for inspection work were prepared. Strategy maps for on-site control were created, allowing design of structured and organized workplace inspection strategies supporting the work domain’s purposes. Conclusion. The analysis dimensions served the study sufficiently, providing the purpose-related functions with their respective subgoals and subsidiary functions that provided the prerequisite for effective workplace inspections and allowed for designing structured and organized strategies for on-site workplace inspection.

A Novel Macro and Micro Scheduling Model for Regulated Safety Inspections Based on Probability Integral Transform and Modified Bin Packing Algorithm

Occupational safety and health (OSH) inspection is an essential element of OSH regulatory enforcement programs. The effectiveness of regulated OSH inspections is dependent on many factors of which proper planning and scheduling of inspections, and optimum utilization of inspectors are extremely important. In spite of this, there is no published scheduling model to solve the problem of regulated safety inspections. Absence of such models negatively affected the performance of safety inspectorates in many countries which is manifested by low portion of firms being inspected over long periods of time. For these, there is urgent need to introduce new scheduling models to solve such problem that has distinctive characteristics compared to the scheduling problems in other fields. The current paper presents a novel hybrid macro and micro scheduling approach that is based on Probability Integral Transform (PIT) and a modified Bin Packing algorithm that address the Inspector Utilization Problem with Firm Inspection Sharing (IUPFISh). The PIT-IUPFISh model consists of uniform long-term macro scheduling of firms for inspection using PIT approach coupled with short-term micro scheduling of firm inspection using the IUPFISh algorithm to determine the daily scheduling of the firms and inspectors so that maximum utilization of inspectors is achieved. A case study was presented to show the application of the proposed model. The results indicate that the application of the proposed model can improve OSH inspectorate performance through improved planning and scheduling as well as maximizing effective utilization of manpower.

Analysis on occupational health monitoring to workers in Zhoushan City

Objective: To analyze the occupational health monitoring data of workers in Zhoushan City, and provide scientific basis for health monitoring and the formulation of occupational disease prevention measures. Methods: From January 2016 to November 2019, the occupational health examination data of 37826 workers in Zhoushan City were collected to analyze the change trend of the detection rate of suspected occupational diseases and occupational contraindications, and to compare the health monitoring status of workers with different social characteristics such as enterprise scale and economic type. Results: From 2016 to 2019, the detection rate of suspected occupational diseases showed a downward trend (χ(2)(trend)=21.09, P<0.05) . The occupational health examination of on-the-job workers in Zhoushan were mainly small enterprises (59.72%, 22591/37826) , private economic enterprises (65.32%, 24707/37826) , male (82.03%, 31028/37826) , 30-49 years old (59.11%, 22359/37826) , and exposed to noise (67.06%, 25365/37826) . The detection rates of occupational contraindications and suspected occupational diseases were higher in micro enterprise, male, over 60 years old, exposed to occupational hazards for more than 49 months, and exposed to chemical and physical hazards at the same time. The detection rates of occupational contraindications and suspected occupational diseases were significantly different among different enterprise scale, economic type, gender, age and occupational hazard factors (P<0.05) . Among benzene workers with occupational contraindications and suspected occupational diseases, the detection rate of A/G abnormality in female workers was higher than that in male workers (P=0.04) , and there was no significant difference in other genders (P>0.05) . Conclusion: It is necessary to pay more attention to the workers working in small and private enterprises in Zhoushan City, strengthen the occupational health supervision of male workers who are over 60 years old who are exposed to benzene, noise and other occupational hazards, standardize the occupational health inspection, and effectively protect the health of the occupational population.

Respiratory Protection Programs (RPP) Implementation at Production Unit of A Tin Smelter at Bangka Belitung Islands Province

The fume generated from the reaction of flux and molten tin produces tin compounds in the atmosphere which potentially lead to stanosis or also known as tin pneumoconiosis after chronic inhalation and prolonged exposure in the workplaces e.g. in smelter industries. The risk can be minimized by implementing Respiratory Protection Program (RPP). This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of RPP at one smelter industries in Bangka Belitung Province. This is a evaluation study that qualitatively evaluate the implementation of RPP. eigth RPP elements from National safety Council (NSC) Australia was used as guideline. The secondary data from Occupational Health and Safety inspection and monitoring report at one of tin smelter from Department of Manpower (Disnaker), Banga Belitung Island province. It was found that several RPP elements have not been fully implemented, which were (1) compliance with respirator standards, (2) no selection of respirators procedure, (3) no protective clothing, (4) no fit testing execution, (5) improper management of cleaning and inspections, and (6) no evaluation of respirator usage. Moreover, specific work process that need Supplied Air Respirator (SAR) has not been anticipated, and improvement in the training materials, periodic training schedule and evaluation of the Respiratory Protection Program were emphasized. There were 3 informants in this study consisting of company managers, safety officers, and labor inspector. The implementation of RPP at PT X. Tin needs to be enhanced. Continuous coaching, monitoring, inspection, and evaluation related to the Respiratory Protection Program must be carried out more intensively both internally and externally from the government.

Analysis of lens opacity and its influencing factors of medical radiation workers

Objective: To explore the association between long-term low-dose radiation exposure and other influencing factors with the risk of lens opacity on medical radiation workers. Methods: In July 2019, a retrospective cohort study was conducted by collecting the basic demographic information, dose data and health inspection result of 2708 radiologists in 22 hospitals of Guangzhou from the Occupational Health Inspection Information System and the Personal Dose Monitoring System of the Guangdong Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Disease between 2010 to 2018. The association between the average annual effective dose and lens opacity risk was calculated by using Time-Dependent Cox Regression Model. Results: From 2010 to 2018, the incidence density of lens opacity was 185.90/10000 person years. Compared with the radiation workers in the age <30 years group (93.74%) , the 5-year normal rate of lens in the age ≥50 years group (72.51%) was lower (P<0.01) ; Compared with the radiation workers in the exposure age <10 years group (92.69%) , the 5-year normal rate of lens in more than 20 years exposed group (83.05%) was lower (P<0.01) . Multifactor analysis showed that age was an independent influencing factor for lens opacity in medical radiation workers (HR=14.485, P<0.01) . The risk of lens opacification increased by 4.9%, 10.1% and 15.5% in 30-, 40- and 50-years group, respectively. Gender, cigarette, alchol, type of work, length of service and annual effective dose had no significant effect on lens opacity (P>0.05) . Conclusion: Age is the main influencing factor of lens opacification in medical radiation workers, their radiation working time and intensity should be strictly controlled and radiation protection should be done.

Assessment of respiratory health and environmental safety measures in phosphate fertilizer industry in the middle region of the Nile Delta, Egypt.

Phosphate fertilizer industry is one of the most environmental polluting industries in Egypt. To identity the prevalence of abnormal ventilatory functions and to assess environmental safety measures in phosphate fertilizer industry in the middle region of the Nile Delta, Egypt. The study included 180 exposed male workers in phosphate fertilizer factory at Kafr El-Zayat City. An interview questionnaire was used to collect data related to socio-demographic, occupational history, and work-related respiratory manifestations. Spirometer was used for measuring ventilatory functions tests. Assessment of workplace safety measures was done by using Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Inspection Checklist, and environmental measures of total dust and sulfur dioxides (SOx) were obtained from records. Self-reported respiratory manifestations were found in 74/180 workers (41.11%), with rhinitis (49.3%), cough (38.9%), and expectoration (38.3%) were the most frequent. Abnormal ventilatory functions were confirmed and reported in about one-fourth of workers (43/180, 23.9%) with prominence of obstructive pattern. Significant negative correlation was found between age and MVV values (r = - 0.449, p = 0.001) and between duration of work and values of both FEV1(r = - 0.248, p = 0.033) and MVV (r = - 0.473, p = 0.001). The mean percent of applied safety practices and measures in workplace was 53.39% ± 16.4. The mean of sulfur dioxides values in English acid unit exceeded the permissible exposure level (PEL). Preventive medical and environmental safety measures were inadequate with a relatively high prevalence of abnormal ventilatory functions among workers. Sulfur dioxides measurements exceeded PEL.

Risks, Circumstances and Regulation – Historical development, diversity of structures and practices in Occupational Safety and Health inspections

The question of how inspectorates on occupational safety and health were born and developed recalls the question of how risks were conceived and how they lead to the adoption of regulations, creation of institutions, development of their scope of work, powers and methods. What seems to have led to create regulations and inspection institutions was, interestingly, not just the importance of a risk in terms of lives lost or other harm, but that a risk be perceived as something that could possibly be mitigated through intervention. Risks to which science and techniques were unable to respond, nor risks to which no cause-effect link was possible to attribute despite their statistical impact, did not lead to the same developments. Neither did those risks considered as “normal”. New techniques and industries created “dread risks” – or risk out of the ordinary – that were critical for state intervention, regulation and inspections. Moreover, moving to “some intervention” usually takes a combination of factors including “crisis events” or broader social pressure. After the initial introduction of a new regulatory system, the way in which institutions developed and grew appears generally and strongly subject to path dependence. A glimpse of historical evolution of occupational safety and health (OSH) inspectorates in the first countries that created them enable us to understand better the contexts in which inspectorates have been created and developed, the different institutional models and approaches to fulfilling their missions, and to explain differences and practices that still hold true today.

Results analysis of occupational physical examination for major occupational hazards exposed laborer in 2018 in Guangzhou

Objective: To analyze the results of occupational physical examination for major occupational hazard exposed laborer in 2018 in Guangzhou, to provide scientific basis for occupational health supervise. Methods: In January 2019, descriptive epidemiological methods were used as the data sources of the Occupational Disease and Occupational Health Information Surveillance System and the report data of Guangzhou Occupational Health Inspection Agency, collecting 2733 employers from 28 Occupational Health Inspection Organizations in 11 administrative regions of Guangzhou from January to December 2018, as well as the occupational health examination data of 97688 workers exposed to the occupational-disease-risk factors, to analyze the inspection of suspected occupational diseases and contraindications during the period of work of the workers who were monitored for the occupational hazard factors (silicon dust, welding fume, benzene, lead, Ethylene Dichloride, N-hexane, high temperature and hand-transmitted vibration) . Results: Total 128 cases of suspected occupational disease were detected, including 3 suspected silicosis, 8 suspected welder＇s pneumoconiosis, 17 suspected other pneumoconiosis, 10 suspected benzene poisoning, 1 suspected lead poisoning and 89 suspected noise deafness. There were 2061 cases of occupational contraindication, among which 550 cases were contraindication of high temperature, 261 cases were benzene and 1089 cases were noise. Conclusion: The Occupational Health Inspection Institution of this city should continuously monitor the occupational health status of the harmful workers during their work, do a good job of prevention, and strengthen the labor protection.

Monitoring of major occupational diseases and analysis of occupational group's health status of Jining in 2018

Objective: To analyze the major occupational disease surveillance and the occupational health examination of Jining in 2018, provide the basis for the government department formulating occupational disease prevention measures. Methods: In January 2019, collecting data of the occupational disease and Occupational Health Information Surveillance Network in Jining from January 1 to December 31, 2018, 37295 workers were collected, and 37295 workers who were exposed to key occupational disease risk factors and underwent occupational health check-up during their working period. The contact of occupational Hazard Factors and occupational health examination were analyzed. SPSS 22.0 was used to set up the database for statistical analysis. Results: Workers exposed to major occupational hazards were more exposed to noise (56.34%, 39935/70883) , coal dust (15.65%, 11095/70883) , welding fume (10.25%, 7262/70883) , silicon dust (5.61%, 3975/70883) . In 2018, 24 cases (38.71%, 2462) of coal worker's pneumoconiosis, 21 cases (33.87%, 2162) of silicosis, 8 cases (12.90%, 82) of noise deafness and 8 cases (12.90%, 862) of brucellosis were the major occupational diseases reported. The abnormal rate of lung function examination was 14.87% (461/3100) , and the abnormal rate of high frequency hearing threshold examination was 4.56% (1492/32731) in workers exposed to coal dust (coal-silica dust) , the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01) . Conclusion: Jining should strengthen the supervision of enterprises with key occupational disease hazards, formulate classified supervision and management methods, and improve the occupational health inspection rate of workers.

A Decision Support Model for Prioritization of Regulated Safety Inspections Using Integrated Delphi, AHP and Double-Hierarchical TOPSIS Approach

Planning regulated occupational safety and health (OSH) inspections is dependent on the prioritization scheme followed by inspection agencies. It is probable that the methods used by OSH inspectorates for decision making on inspection priorities is not efficient enough to cover all the hazardous firms which is evidenced by less than expected reduction in injury rates in many countries. The objective of the current research is to present a prioritization model based on four criteria comprising thirteen subcriteria using an integrated Delphi, AHP and Double-Hierarchical TOPSIS (DH-TOPSIS) approach. The decision main and subcriteria as well as their pairwise comparisons were decided by a group of experts through a Delphi methodology. In addition, the weights of the main and subcriteria were determined using AHP method. Unlike the commonly applied TOPSIS method which uses subcriteria global weights in a single calculation process, the DH-TOPSIS method uses the local weights of the subcriteria to calculate the priority index of the alternatives (firms) with respect to the main criteria in a first TOPSIS calculation cycle. The resulting priority index is used as the evaluation scores of the firms in a second TOPSIS calculation cycle to prioritize firms for subsequent inspections. The DH-TOPSIS performed better than the global weight, single TOPSIS (GWS-TOPSIS) method with respect to the probability that the best alternative has the shortest distance to the ideal solution. Furthermore, the proposed model has a stable prioritization performance without rank reversal. As such, it is dynamic in handling large number of alternatives making it appropriate for prioritization of firms for OSH inspections. This approach can be further integrated with an appropriate scheduling methodology to improve the effectiveness of OSH inspections.

Occupational safety and health in shared workplaces according to workplace inspection reports

The aim of this study was to create a holistic view of shared workplaces and the ways in which these ‘special situations’ for organizing work take place in practice. The characteristics of shared workplaces and the associated phenomena and challenges were also points of interest. Occupational safety and health inspection reports (N = 200) from the Regional State Administrative Agency of Finland were analysed to obtain information on the deficiencies observed in shared workplaces. The observations were categorized, and the categories were linked to the elements in the work system model. Thus, observation profiles for shared workplaces in the construction, manufacturing and mining and quarrying industries were created. In the observation profiles, significant differences were identified between two or more industries in terms of deficiencies related to organization, employee, task, tools and technology as well as work environment, i.e., the elements comprising the work system model.